Hello Jen,
Our national broadcaster, the ABC, has struck again with a new low in responsible journalism.
In 'PNG - That Sinking Feeling', broadcast last night as part of the 'Foreign Correspondent' program, reporter Steve Marshall has trashed any credibility the ABC had left on environmental reporting.
The unambiguous message in the documentary and all the introductory material was that here was firm "evidence" of rising sea levels producing climate refugees.
The most powerful scene was of one islander and the reporter standing waist deep in water where the islanders father had once had his veggie patch. The implication being that sea levels had risen by close to two metres over recent decades.
The only problem with this is that the Carteret Islands are only a short distance from Bougainville where no such sea level rise has been reported. Moreover, the area is only 500km from some very serious recent volcanic activity at Rabaul and form part of an active volcanic chain through the Solomon Islands.
The Islanders appear to have been convinced that they are the victims of rising sea levels and global warming, no doubt from a procession of publicly funded planet ponces.
But if Marshall and the program managers at 'Foreign Correspondent' had been able to deal with more than one variable at a time they would have drawn the inescapable conclusion that the islands are sinking.
Instead they appear to have manufactured a piece of green propaganda that neatly dovetails with Al Gore's thoroughly discredited claim that Pacific Islanders are already being displaced by rising sea levels?
What I find most offensive is the way a group of islanders who are confronted by a serious problem appear to have been exploited.
If the ABC can get something this simple completely wrong, then what does that tell us about the veracity of their reporting on much more complex issues elsewhere?
Regards,
Ian Mott
This is really important ive got a project due on this friday so i need the answer by thursday night. My Question is what does the parish/church think about sea level rising??
thanking you
from cindy
Please note there are relict coral reefs that are presently some distance above current sea level. I dare anyone to suggest from this that the sea level is not lowering.
S. Moore (actualy geomorphological occurrences, but raised in jest in the context of this thread)
The thing about old dogs Ian is they fall off the front of the pack. Have your day mate.
Gavin just can't help himself "how many will have to contemplate sharing resources with those now living on sand and coral".
Despite all the evidence that coral atolls sink, and that past records of sea level rise are distorted, Gavin is back at the old dogs vomit, predicting sea level crisis on the basis of chooks guts.
Luke: Watchers on the edge of this raging debate are going to have to plant their retirement money somewhere some time. At the moment I reckon all fringe dwellers having two bob each way are running out of options and it’s the ones with few private funds that will be most affected by substantial change to where we can all live comfortably
Teachers have another obligation and that is to get youngsters up and running in the right direction. Who knows how many will have to contemplate sharing resources with those now living on sand and coral. Better still what will their technology be worth in places like Dubai?
Toby - it's OK to have doubt - but work out your likely's ,unlikely's and don't knows. This issue is about risk management with incomplete data.
When you see a fundamental change in southern hemisphere circulation patterns that line up with current observations and models including aspects of our current droughts I say we have some cause for concern. But you have to be prepared for some study and pondering to work out the intercactions.
As I said do your two-way table of effects/for and against arguments and see what the balance tells you. Frankly I'd be surprised if you didn't get a compelling story.
And as for Stewart Franks - we can explain about 50% of the variability - it's called El Nino - so so much for Stewie - do some reading !